The present invention relates generally to messaging systems, and, more particularly, to a method, system, and storage medium for providing search and reference functions for use with a messaging system.
Messaging systems such as electronic mail (e-mail) allow computer users to compose messages using a simple text editor and then send these messages to another user. Computer users are also able to send electronic files, graphical data such as spreadsheets and charts, and multi-media data as well. Most online services and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer some form of email or messaging capability. With the use of gateways and widely accepted communications standards such as MAPI and X.400, these users can readily exchange messages with users of other types of messaging systems.
When composing or responding to a message, oftentimes the user is required to relate back to a previous message or correlative stored data for a reference or for clarification purposes. This is most often the case in a business context whereby a user is following up on an issue previously initiated or when the user is directed to perform an action item. In this instance, the user is faced with having to search his or her email history folders, local directories, or other sources of electronic data in order to refresh the subject information and recollect the subject matter. Manually searching these data sources can be very time consuming and may not result in locating the desired data.
Current messaging systems allow a user to perform administrative functions within the personal email folder such as sorting messages alphabetically by sender, recipient or subject, as well as searching for specific emails by entering a word in the messaging system's search engine. In order to locate a specific message, the user must browse through all or a portion of the messages or perform keyword searches. Moreover, if the user desires to reference data other than a previous email message (e.g., text file, online document, etc.) for purposes of including the reference data into the email message, the user is required to exit out of the email window and initiate one or more searches of each source location (e.g., local hard drive, online search engine, network drive, etc.). Further, current messaging systems do not allow a user to view and select these search results from within the messaging system and incorporate the search results into the message being composed. In other words, with respect to messaging systems, a user who is composing or responding to a message currently does not have sufficient capability to search for relevant content and incorporate it into the message unless the user first accesses a separate application or search engine.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to enable a user to access and link relevant data either over a network or from archived sources in the context of creating or responding to electronic messages.